The contraceptive pill could be changing your voice

Since the contraceptive pill was introduced in the 1960s, women in the UK have had access to a reliable way of controlling their fertility and periods. Around three million women are believed to be currently on the Pill in the UK. But some experts believe taking hormonal birth control can affect how attractive you appear to the opposite sex.

And a recent study has even shown that whether or not a woman is on the Pill can influence her voice. Scientists recruited 44 women who did not take hormones and 21 women on contraceptive pills to examine the effects of the menstrual cycle on vocal pitch.

The team, led by Irena Pavela Banai of the University of Zadar, recorded the women speaking the five vowels at three different phases of their menstrual cycle.

Women who were not using hormonal contraception showed some changes in their voices across their menstrual cycle compared to those taking the Pill.

During their most fertile phase (ovulation) and just afterwards, women not taking the Pill had a higher pitched voice. And while they were on their period, these women had a slightly lower pitch to their voices. Those on hormonal contraceptives however did not experience any significant changes throughout their cycle.

"A takeaway message would be that women's voices do change during the menstrual cycle, most likely due to fluctuations of sex hormones. Probably some women, like professional singers, notice that their ability to reach high notes, for example, is different in different cycle points, and these changes are normal," Banai told PsyPost.

It might be further evidence that women who don't take hormones are at an advantage when it comes to male attraction. A 2012 study found men rated faces and voices more attractive when women's fertility was at its highest.

So could taking the Pill really influence how attractive you are to the opposite sex? Dr Banai points out that further studies are needed to address whether these very subtle vocal changes can really influence mating preference. The vocal changes identified in the research were very subtle, so it's unclear if another person would really be able to detect them in everyday conversation.

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